This invention provides new chemical compounds characterized as being .beta.-carboxy sulfonates. The compounds inhibit acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT), the enzyme responsible for the esterification of dietary cholesterol. Such agents thus decrease the absorption of dietary cholesterol and therefore provide a therapy for individuals with hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis.
High levels of cholesterol have been associated with heightened risk for development of several disease states, most notably coronary heart disease. A great deal of effort has been devoted to finding ways to lower cholesterol levels in biological systems. The approach of lowering cholesterol intake by modifying diet has met with only limited success. The ACAT enzyme is known to catalyze the esterification of dietary cholesterol, and has been implicated in several aspects of the atherosclerotic process in animals. One approach to lowering cholesterol then is to inhibit the ACAT enzyme. While several ACAT inhibitors have been identified (see for example EP 0570245), the need continues to identify and develop new ACAT inhibitors having improved therapeutic properties.
An object of this invention is therefore to provide a new series of compounds which are .beta.-carboxy sulfonate derivatives and which have demonstrated excellent ACAT inhibitory properties. Another object is to provide pharmaceutical formulations comprising the sulfonates and a carrier or excipient, and a method for inhibiting the ACAT enzyme by administering a compound of the invention.